The Light Has Dawned – Part 4

Love Draws Near – John 1:1-14

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – December 21, 2025

Introduction

• As we continue our Advent journey, we come to one of the most breathtaking passages ever written. Every word carries profound weight. Matthew and Luke take us to Bethlehem, but John takes us beyond Bethlehem, beyond history, into the infinite glory of the eternal God.
• Christmas, John says, does not begin with a baby; it begins with God Himself. And that is why the gospel of John opens the way Genesis opens, with the same incredible phrase: “In the beginning. . . .” John is saying, “If you want to understand Christmas correctly, you must start with the eternal Christ.”
• We are going to read our passage in its entirety, and then we will circle back and walk through it together, pointing out a few things for us to consider this morning.

John 1:1-14 NIV (Page 911)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus Is Eternally God

• John uses the word “Word,” which is “Logos” in the Greek, not simply as a poetic idea, but as a powerful declaration that Jesus is God’s self-revelation, God speaking Himself to us. “In the beginning was the Word” means that Jesus didn’t start at Christmas; He already was. Before time existed, before galaxies came to be, before matter or atoms or angels, Jesus eternally existed in face-to-face fellowship with the Father.
• That’s why John doesn’t rush us to a stable—he invites us into eternity. The story of Christmas is not the beginning of Christ’s existence; it is the unveiling of His eternal glory in human flesh. Before Mary held Him in her arms, He held all creation together. Before Joseph named Him “Jesus,” He had already named the stars.

John 1:3-5 NIV
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

• The Christ we meet in this passage is not merely a historical figure, not a wise teacher, not a moral example. He is the One through whom everything exists. If Christ is not the eternal God, then nothing about Christianity makes sense. But because He is God, everything in this book matters. And Jesus is the most important person in history and all time.
• This means that the Christmas story is way more than a story; it is about the eternal God stepping into time with us and for us. It is the revelation of God in the flesh, as one of us. So everything He says and does, we must pay special and close attention to. Every single word. And when Jesus came into the world, He did not come with some huge parade or massive fanfare, but John says that Jesus came into a world that did not recognize Him nor receive Him.

Jesus Was Not Recognized or Received

John 1:9-11 NIV
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

• John tells us that the true Light was coming into the world. The world did not request Him, prepare for Him, or at large welcome Him. The world preferred darkness. And that is still true of human nature apart from God’s grace, even though we desperately need the light.
• It is heartbreaking language: “His own did not receive Him.” Imagine creating a world, sustaining it every moment, and when you finally arrive, no one recognizes you. That is the tragedy of sin: it blinds us to God, the very being who created us.
• But it is also the miracle of grace that God came not because we were seeking Him, but because He was seeking us. Jesus doesn’t go into a world eager to worship Him; He comes into a world that rejects Him. And He comes anyway. He doesn’t demand our love—He offers His. He pursues us when we are running the other way.
• Christmas is God refusing to give up on a world that in so many ways has given up on Him. Preferring their own way and their own sin over the goodness of God and His good way for them. Even though His light has always shone upon us, and His qualities have been seen through what He created (Rom 1:18). Even though He sent angels and prophets who proclaimed His Word and revealed His heart. We still reject Him; all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.
• Yet, God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever would believe in Him would have eternal life (John 3:16). This is the grace and the character of the eternal God. Even though we did not and so often do not recognize and receive Him, He still offers an invitation to be a part of His family and to be His child.

Jesus Gives Us the Right to Become Children of God

• Now notice what comes next. John says,

John 1:12 NIV
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

• We’re not just forgiven . . . we’re adopted. We’re given a new identity. We become sons and daughters through faith. Christmas is not only about God coming near us; it is also about God bringing us near to Himself.
• Think about that. God doesn’t want distant followers; He wants family. He doesn’t want reluctant servants; He wants beloved sons and daughters. Some of us come from families with deep wounds or empty chairs this time of year. Some of us carry pain, loneliness, or memories that make Christmas bittersweet. But in Christ, God has brought us into a spiritual family that cannot be lost. This is something that He has done for us; all we have to do is recognize Him for who He is, receive Him into our lives, believe that He has and will do what He said He will do, and follow after Him, to know Him and become like Him.
• Christmas means you do not have to be on the outside looking in; God has invited you home. You are wanted. You are loved. You are His. There is room around His table for you. He has prepared a place for you. Your eternal and steadfast home. When you believe, you are a part of HIS family, and that matters most. This is a new identity, a new reality, and a new way of living and seeing all things.

The Word Became Flesh and Moved into Our Neighborhood

John 1:14a NIV
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

• The eternal God did not simply send a message; He came Himself. The God of glory became human. He took on skin and bone and weakness and limitation. He slept. He ate. He walked roads. He experienced pain. He entered our human condition in every way except sin. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
• This is the miracle at the center of our faith: God became a real human being so that He could redeem real human beings, from the outside in—to the inside out. He did not love us theoretically, or theologically; He loved us physically. The One who created life experienced death. The One who created the human body took on a human body that could be nailed to a cross.
• No other religion tells this kind of story. No other god enters the suffering of His people like this. No other god becomes flesh to bring His people back to Himself. There is no one like Jesus; there is no other god like Him. He is the truth revealed. He is the very “image of God” (2 Cor 4:4).

John 1:14b NIV

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• He is the “one and only Son.” He “came from the Father,” and He is “full of grace and truth.” If we were not full of grace, we would be obliterated, and if He is not the truth, then we have completely lost our way. Jesus came “full of grace and truth,” and He continues to come to us this way, not ignoring the reality of who we are or what we have done, but offering us grace because this is who He is. All powerful, all truthful, all graceful, and He invites you to be near Him, to know Him, and to be with Him forever.

What do we do with this?

• Let me offer three suggestions for you today.
  • First, receive Christ today. Recognize who He is . . . recognize what Jesus has done for you. Acknowledge the truth about your condition. Receive who He has revealed Himself to be, and give yourself to Him. Know Him. Treasure Him. Follow Him. There is no one like Jesus, who is full of grace and truth.
  • Second, surrender something. Christmas is God saying, “You don’t have to rescue yourself.” What is God inviting you to release? A fear? A grudge? A burden you’ve been carrying? A sin you’ve been hiding? A situation you’ve been trying to control? Bring it to Christ and let Christmas remind you that God has come close.
  • Third, worship. Not just “feel Christmas.” Worship the Christ of Christmas. Lift your heart. Lift your voice. Worship Jesus for who He is—eternal God, incarnate Savior, redeeming King. Christmas is not primarily about celebration; it is about adoration. Slow down, focus on what matters most, and get to know Christ for who He is. Read the Word, pray for His Spirit, worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

Conclusion

• When John begins this story with “in the beginning,” he is inviting us to believe something astonishing: Christmas is not a seasonal story. It is a cosmic rescue. God Himself entered the darkness to bring us into His light.
• So when you see lights this week, remember the Light who stepped into darkness for you. When you hear carols, remember the God they announce. When you feel the coldness of this world, remember the warmth of God drawing near.
• The Word became flesh. Light has dawned. God has come near. Not just into the world, but into yours.

Our prayer team is available to pray with you after the service, near the “prayer” sign at the front of the sanctuary, and in the prayer room next to the offices. Also, you can send your prayer request to prayer@crosspointrockford.com

Questions for Growth Groups

1. What stood out to you most from John’s way of beginning the Christmas story “in the beginning”? Why do you think John wants us to start with God, not Bethlehem?
2. How does understanding that Jesus is eternally God change the way we think about His birth and about the Christmas season?
3. John says Jesus came into a world that did not recognize Him or receive Him. What are ways our culture still prefers darkness to light? What does that look like personally?
4. We were not just forgiven—we were adopted as children of God. What difference does this identity make in the way we face fear, sin, loneliness, or disappointment?
5. “The Word became flesh” means God moved toward us, not away from us. How does that truth comfort you, challenge you, or change the way you relate to Him?
6. Which of the three invitations at the end is God pressing most on your heart right now—receive Christ, surrender something, or worship Him? Why?
7. What might it look like this week to slow down, recognize Him, worship Him, and keep Christ at the center of Christmas?